The present invention relates generally to winding of webs, and more particularly to an enveloper assembly for winding webs in a streaming operation.
Many products are supplied as a flexible, elongated sheet referred to as a web. Examples of webs include sheet paper, sheet fabric, plastic film, and metal foil. Webs are commonly wound into a roll for storage, shipping, processing, and consumption. In typical practice, webs are wound onto a separate component, a pre-formed core formed from a rigid material such as cardboard, wood, plastic, or metal. The core serves as a support structure for initiating the winding process and for maintaining the structural integrity of the web during shipping and handling. The core also serves as a mechanism for dispensing the web during further processing and during end-user applications.
In some winding processes, an operator first manually attaches a web to a pre-formed core with tape. After the web has been fully wound, the operator then manually seals the finished roll with tape. These processes are labor intensive and not well suited for high-volume manufacturing. What are needed are methods and apparatus for streaming production of wound web rolls.